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Online travel portal nears departure

Kable

Published: 04 Aug 2004 12:20 BST

The UK's online travel information service has completed the second stage of its development with enhanced features now available as a test portal, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

Transport Direct, which is due to be launched publicly in the autumn, brings together road and public transport information allowing people to plan a journey door to door.

After a series of delays to the project, IT supplier Atos Origin has now completed a series of upgrades to the site in order to improve the functionality of the service. Following the upgrades, the site has a postcode search facility, links to purchase coach tickets and a travel news section.

Under the second stage of the £19m project, the supplier has also added a journey planning system which includes timetable information for 330,000 bus stops and 2500 train stations across the UK.

Nick Illsley chief executive of Transport Direct said the project is "very complex" and involves "data from many sources".

"Once we've finished trails later this year, the service will be available to help the travelling public plan their journeys, compare costs and keep up to date with real time travel conditions," he said.

According to a DfT spokesperson, the site is being "constantly updated" during the test stage, with new features such as air travel information to be added later this year.